Army uniform identification

[shaun]

Another photo found who we don't know.

Believe the uniform to be army, but any information on this uniform would be greatly appreciated

thanks

Shaun

[Henry7]

I'd say it was Royal Air Force at some date before about 1953, and probably several years before then.

[jess5athome]

Hi, I agree with Henry7, definitely RAF you can just make out the eagle on the buttons.

Frank.

[Henry7]

The lad is wearing an RAF "best-blue" jacket and a forage cap. From around 1950 these caps were replaced by berets, which were issued to new recruits, but forage caps were still seen on some older chaps for a few years.  Peaked caps came in in 1953.

Harry.

[Henry7]

A bit puzzled by his collar.

Collars were detachable (held on by collar-studs, fore & aft) and starched, so I'd have expected to see a smoother finish.

He doesn't seem to have any stripes or LAC (Leading Aircraftsman) propellor on his sleeve, so he was presumably still just an AC/2 or AC/1 when the photo was taken. But obviously a 'Brylcreem Boy'.

Harry.

[John915]

Good evening,

You can see the two collar ends under the tie and just a small portion of the front stud. He had obviously run out of starch, or couldn't be bothered to mix some to put the collar in.

Easier in my day, came in spray cans.

John915

[Henry7]

Starch in spray cans?  Wow.

In 1952-4 we simply sent our collars, along with vests, drawers, shirts and socks, to the camp laundry every week.  The collars came back starched and smooth.

Which makes me think this photo was earlier, under some different system.

Harry.

[John915]

Good evening,

We had a laundry as well but not much use for socks and collars for instance. We were issued with 3 prs socks so had to wash them ourselves and dry overnight.

Only 2 shirts SD with collars so if wearing daily they had to be washed, pressed and starched overnight.

But 3 shirts KF so you could send 1 to the laundry and keep 2 on rotation to wear.

Army issue clothing was sadly lacking in quantity, never enough of any one thing to keep you going all week and send stuff to the laundry. OK out in the far east were you got it back next day. But in UK and BAOR it was weekly.

John915

[Henry7]

I was in the RAF on a camp with Army and Navy blokes, and it seemed crazy to me that so many things differed from one to the other.  Even the grub provided for a long train journey was different.  You were far better off in the RAF.

So the Army's meagre provision of shirts doesn't surprise me.  In the RAF (if I remember correctly) we were issued with three shirts and six separate collars. 

But we had to buy our collar-studs in the Naafi.  Somebody was making a packet out of us.